NOW Yearbook ’93 – Various Artists (Pink Vinyl 3LP)

NOW is proud to present the next instalment in our ongoing ‘Yearbook’ series – and takes a look back 31 years ago – with 44 tracks on 3 LPs, pressed on Pink Vinyl, to celebrate a stellar year of Pop singles. NOW – Yearbook 1993.

Opening with a posthumous #1 for Freddie Mercury with the remix of ‘Living On My Own’, before the first of two tracks included on this ‘Yearbook’ from Pet Shop Boys taken from their classic 1993 album ‘Very’, ‘Can You Forgive Her?’. New Order returned to the Top 5 with ‘Regret’, and R.E.M. had a string of hits including ‘The Sidewinder Sleeps Tonite’. Duran Duran feature twice and ‘Come Undone’ is up next, ahead of beautiful tracks from Annie Lennox and Lisa Stansfield closing Side One.

Flip the album over for the first #1 from Take That, ‘Pray’, a global #1 smash from Ace Of Base and Reggae #1’s from Shaggy with ‘Oh Carolina’ and UB40 with their cover of ‘(I Can’t Help) Falling In Love With You’. The remainder of LP1 celebrates long established Chart stars including Deborah Harry, Tears For Fears, Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark and a-ha. The big come-back star of the year was Meat Loaf:- ‘I’d Do Anything For Love…’ spent 7 weeks at #1 and was 1993’s best-selling single, and is joined on LP2 by Alt-Rock hits from Lenny Kravitz, Spin Doctors, and the massive ‘What’s Up?’ from 4 Non Blondes. Billy Joel enjoyed a huge hit with ‘The River Of Dreams’, and Side One finishes with Sting’s defining classic ‘Fields Of Gold’. Side Two opens with three of the year’s newer charting bands: Radiohead with ‘Creep’, Suede with ‘So Young’ and Manic Street Preachers with ‘From Despair To Where’ – all destined to become an essential part of the fabric of the decades’ Charts, whilst the remainder of the side includes the first Top 10 single for Jamiroquai, a ‘modern classic’ from Paul Weller and a Top 20 return from Paul McCartney.

The final LP opens with the second smash by Whitney Houston from ‘The Bodyguard’ with ‘I’m Every Woman’, and SNAP! feat. Niki Harris with ‘Exterminate’. R&B and Soul fusions from Arrested Development and SWV follow ahead of the debut #1 hit ‘Dreams’ from Gabrielle, and the side closes with Dina Carroll’s massive ballad ‘Don’t Be A Stranger’.

On the collections final side it’s all about anthemic Pop … kicking off with definitive tracks from Duran Duran with the sublime ‘Ordinary World’, Pet Shop Boys with their superb cover of ‘Go West’, and the #1 collaboration between Take That and Lulu. Floor-filling Dance-Pop from Robin S, M People and West End feat. Sybil are all featured, whilst the final words are from Elton John & Kiki Dee with their version of ‘True Love’, which was a Top 3 smash through the Christmas period. NOW – Yearbook 1993 – A celebration of the diversity and wonderful creativity of a truly magnificent year in Pop!

1. Freddie Mercury – Living On My Own
2. Pet Shop Boys – Can You Forgive Her?
3. New Order – Regret
4. R.E.M. – The Sidewinder Sleeps Tonite
5. Duran Duran – Come Undone
6. Annie Lennox – Love Song For A Vampire
7. Lisa Stansfield – In All The Right Places
8. Take That – Pray
9. Ace Of Base – All That She Wants
10. Shaggy – Oh Carolina 4. UB40 – (I Can’t Help) Falling In Love With You
11. Deborah Harry – I Can See Clearly
12. Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark – Stand Above Me
13. Tears For Fears – Break It Down Again
14. a-ha – Dark Is the Night For All
15. Meat Loaf – I’d Do Anything For Love (But I Won’t Do That)
16. Lenny Kravitz – Are You Gonna Go My Way
17. Spin Doctors – Two Princes
18. Billy Joel – The River Of Dreams
19. 4 Non Blondes – What’s Up?
20. Tina Turner – I Don’t Wanna Fight
21. Sting – Fields Of Gold
22. Radiohead – Creep
23. Suede – So Young
24. Manic Street Preachers – From Despair To Where
25. Leftfield – Open Up
26. Jamiroquai – Too Young To Die
27. The Cranberries – Linger
28. Paul Weller – Wild Wood
29. Paul McCartney – Hope Of Deliverance
30. Whitney Houston – I’m Every Woman
31. SNAP! feat. Niki Haris – Exterminate
32. Arrested Development – Mr. Wendal
33. SWV – Right Here 5. Eternal – Stay
34. Gabrielle – Dreams
35. Dina Carroll – Don’t Be A Stranger
36. Duran Duran – Ordinary World
37. Pet Shop Boys – Go West
38. Robin S – Show Me Love
39. M People – Moving On Up
40. Take That feat. Lulu – Relight My Fire
41. West End feat. Sybil – The Love I Lost
42. Elton John & Kiki Dee – True Love